World Economic Forum

#GenAI brings opportunity but also bias, exclusion and unintended consequences. Human-centred AI means asking: Who benefits, who is left behind and what guardrails will protect us? #Human-centred AI must go beyond design principles to reflect ethics, transparency and inclusion. Global frameworks like the EU AI Act and the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report show why diverse perspectives are critical to avoiding bias and unintended harms. Find out more from Jaco Hamman of Vanderbilt University: https://lnkd.in/eHM7MfGk

While #GenZ and #millennials have been dominating the headlines, #GenX has quietly become the world's most powerful consumer force. Currently positioned at the intersection of career leadership and family responsibility, GenX are driving household spending decisions in a way that reflects their priorities: family life. Perhaps most significantly, women now control half of global spending for the first time in history. This shift represents in #economic power is reshaping how businesses understand their customers. But millennials are set to catch up soon, according to data from World Data Lab. What will that mean for your business? Read more from Wolfgang Fengler, World Data Lab and Marta Bowles, NielsenIQ: https://lnkd.in/eRPcUqsQ

#Cities around the world are struggling to balance housing demand with protecting #biodiversity. The World Economic Forum’s Nature-Positive Cities initiative highlights strategies for enhancing and protecting nature in urban spaces. Here's how global cities like San Francisco and Belém are stepping up action to protect habitats: https://lnkd.in/ec58mjBq

Many teachers don’t have the skillsets for counselling students or delivering the wraparound care required for the best learning - but could AI help equip them? Akshay Saxena is the co-founder of Avanti Fellows an organization that takes bright underprivileged kids from mainly rural India and trains them to enter the country’s top learning programmes. In 16 years as an educator, he says he’s learned one thing above all: when it comes to learning, care is more important than content. Akshay shares his optimism for #education in the age of #AI, which - besides obvious uses as a problem-solver and learning aid - could relieve teachers and caregivers from onerous tasks and free them up for more meaningful work. Akshay Saxena is a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2025. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship champions outstanding models of social #innovation from around the world. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gabSXSR

Welcome to your latest edition of the World Economic Forum's 3 Climate Trends newsletter 📣 💸 From São Paulo to Davos: What needs to happen in climate #finance 💧 Improving #water circularity for #data centres 🏊 What 102 hours of non-stop saltwater swimming taught this endurance athlete about the #ocean Let us know your thoughts on these #climate and #nature stories in the comments below 💬⬇️

The growth of #AI is driving an unprecedented surge in #energy demand that clean power simply cannot meet fast enough. By 2030, global data centre electricity use will double to nearly 1,000 terawatt-hours, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). With clean power deployment lagging this runaway demand, the gap will be filled by fossil fuels. They could satisfy more than half of data centre energy through 2030, the IEA says, generating over 300 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. Supercritical's Michelle You says scaling AI without blowing past climate commitments requires immediate, aggressive action: - Tech giants must invest heavily in #carbon removal today to neutralize unavoidable emissions. - Governments must provide clear rules, public procurement programmes and infrastructure for carbon removal. The future of AI and the #climate depends on leaders committing to scalable, measurable carbon mitigation strategies now. https://lnkd.in/esrkmnn2

In an era of #economic uncertainty and growing financial complexity, understanding how money works has never been more essential. Yet misconceptions about personal #finance and general financial education remain commonplace. From the belief that investing is only for the wealthy to the idea that #financial education is solely about saving, these myths continue to influence how individuals and businesses approach financial well-being. We asked 3 experts to separate fact from fiction: https://lnkd.in/eTBhziNt

Around 9 in 10 women living in northern #Ghana’s rural areas rely on shea trees for their income. Most live on less than $2 a day.  But today digital technology is helping to break this cycle of poverty - by empowering Ghana’s women #shea farmers to boost their profits, improve their financial security and literacy, and by conserving and cultivating the shea trees on which they depend.  Here, Sommalife co-founder and COO Mawuse Christina Gyisun explains how her social enterprise’s digital platform works - and reveals the scale of the transformation underway in the region today.  Sommalife is a Schwab Foundation Awardee 2025. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship champions outstanding models of social #innovation from around the world. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gabSXSR 

Can’t put your phone down? You’re not alone. #Smartphone addiction is on the rise around the world. It brings with it a range of health risks, from depression and anxiety to sleeplessness. In #Japan, the average high school student spends 6 hours a day online - more than any other age group. Now the country is taking steps to tackle smartphone addiction. Here’s how. As the influence of digital technology on society increases, so do its risks. A new report by the World Economic Forum explores these challenges, and offers strategies to promote a healthier relationship with our screens. Learn more in our feature: https://ow.ly/t8Qv50XyzeL

The World Economic Forum’s 56th Annual Meeting will take place in #Davos-Klosters, Switzerland (19–23 January 2026) under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue. Amid rising global fragmentation and accelerating technological and societal shifts, the meeting embodies the Forum’s long-standing mission to foster openness, cooperation and trust. Leaders from business, government, civil society and beyond will come together to exchange perspectives and drive progress towards shared solutions. Follow the conversation at #WEF26 and find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eGXtBn6N